In Paris, France, a city full of romance and art, a seemingly ordinary manor sits quietly in a corner.
The appearance of the manor is unremarkable. The ancient brick and stone walls are covered with green vines, and the wrought iron gate is tightly closed, as if guarding the secrets inside.
At this moment, in a well-decorated study room in the manor, two men were sitting around a carved oak desk, discussing matters intently.
One of the men has a Chinese face, his name is Feng Hongda, and he is a professional cultural relic restorer.
Feng Hongda has a tall and tall figure, a handsome face, and a kind of calmness and wisdom in his eyes.
He has had a strong interest in the restoration of cultural relics since he was a child. After years of hard study and practice, he has now become well-known in the field of restoration of cultural relics.
His hands are long and dexterous, as if they were born to repair those precious cultural relics.
Feng Hongda has a special affection for cultural relics. He believes that every cultural relic carries historical memory and cultural heritage. Therefore, in the process of restoring cultural relics, he always pays special attention to the cultural relics and strives to restore them Restore to its original state.
The other man has a foreign face, his name is Henry.
Henry is tall, blond and blue-eyed. He is wearing an expensive custom-made suit and a large gemstone ring on his hand, which is full of luxury.
However, his identity is somewhat shady.
Henry specializes in forging valuables and making a living by passing them off as genuine. With his superb forgery skills and cunning business acumen, he has made a lot of money in this illegal field over the years.
Henry's eyes often flashed with a cunning light, and there was always a faint smile on the corner of his mouth, making it impossible for people to see through his inner thoughts.
Since the movie "Zodiac" was released all over the world, Henry has keenly seen the huge business opportunities contained in it.
With its wonderful plot and shocking special effects, this film shows the legendary story of the Chinese Zodiac animal head bronze statues, which has attracted widespread attention from global audiences.
Henry thought that if he could find a professional antique restorer to work with him to create a fake zodiac animal head bronze statue, and then sell it at an auction, he would definitely be able to make a huge fortune.
He understands that the movie "Twelve Zodiac Signs" has been popular for more than a month. Everyone is full of curiosity about the whereabouts of the real bronze statues of animal heads of the twelve zodiac signs, but they have never been found, and no one is sure. I don't know where these bronze statues are.
Furthermore, since no one has ever seen the real thing, if the imitation year is made more realistic, wouldn’t it be possible to deceive everyone?
So, Henry began to think about how to find a suitable cultural relic restorer to cooperate.
Using his extensive network of contacts, he asked around and finally learned of Feng Hongda's existence.
Henry learned that Feng Hongda was a highly skilled cultural relic restorer and had in-depth research on Chinese cultural relics.
He felt that Feng Hongda was just the partner he was looking for.
So Henry contacted Feng Hongda through various channels and made him a proposal for cooperation.
Feng Hongda was very hesitant about Henry's proposal at first.
He understands that forging cultural relics is an unethical act and may even violate the law.
However, the conditions offered by Henry were too tempting.
Henry promised that as long as Feng Hongda agreed to cooperate, he would be responsible for providing sufficient funds and use his personal connections to take charge of the auction and other matters.
The final profit will be divided into 40% and 60%, and Feng Hongda will get 40% of it.
Under the temptation of huge benefits, Feng Hongda's heart began to waver.
He thought that he had worked hard for many years, but he had never received the rewards he deserved.
And this cooperation may make him rich overnight and change his life.
After a fierce ideological struggle, Feng Hongda finally agreed to Henry's proposal.
After the two hit it off, they quickly agreed on a division of labor and cooperation plan.
Feng Hongda is responsible for imitating a bronze statue of a horse and an animal head, while Henry is responsible for providing funds and using his connections to conduct auctions.
So, a vigorous counterfeiting operation began.
However, if there is no real object to imitate, what can we do? They had an idea and decided to imitate the bronze statues of animal heads of the zodiac animals in the movie.
In particular, the bronze statue with the head of a horse or animal, which was captured most clearly in the movie, became their first choice for counterfeiting.
Henry did not hesitate to invest a lot of money to purchase the most advanced materials and tools, providing a solid material foundation for Feng Hongda's counterfeiting work.
With the financial support and Feng Hongda’s superb technology, the counterfeiting work is progressing very smoothly.
Feng Hongda relied on his deep understanding of cultural relics and superb restoration skills to carefully study every detail of the bronze statue of a horse and an animal in the movie.
He started from the shape, decoration, color and other aspects of the bronze statue, and strived to make it exactly the same as the bronze statue in the movie.
After countless days and nights of hard work, they soon created a bronze statue with a horse head and an animal head that was almost exactly the same as the one in the movie.
From the appearance, this fake bronze statue of a horse and an animal head can almost look real.
Basically, no one can see any problems at all.
Especially for those foreign antique appraisers who do not know much about Chinese culture, it is even more difficult to distinguish between authenticity and fakeness.
In order to ensure nothing goes wrong, Henry and Feng Hongda also bribed some Chinese antique appraisers.
Under the temptation of money, these appraisers violated their professional ethics and issued multiple appraisal certificates for this fake bronze statue of a horse and an animal head.
With these identification certificates, this bronze statue of a horse and an animal head was successfully sold to the famous Drouot auction house.
Drouot Auction House is one of the most famous auction houses in France and even in the world. It brings together precious cultural relics and works of art from all over the world.
Henry and Feng Hongda chose to send the bronze statue of a horse and a beast to the Drouot auction house because of its popularity and influence.
They believe that on this platform, this bronze statue will definitely attract the attention of many buyers and achieve an amazing price at auction.
The reason why they decided to hold the auction again on July 30th is because they planned to take advantage of this time to promote it.
Using the media resources he bought, Henry began to promote the auction of this bronze statue of a horse and an animal head on a global scale.
He deliberately created a mysterious atmosphere, making people full of curiosity and expectation for this bronze statue.
At the same time, Henry also specifically targeted wealthy Chinese tycoons for publicity. He knew that these Chinese tycoons had special feelings for Chinese cultural relics and had strong financial strength.
He believes that as long as he can attract the attention of these wealthy Chinese people, the auction price of this bronze statue of a horse and an animal head will inevitably rise.
With the continuous advancement of publicity, the auction of this bronze statue of a horse and an animal head caused a huge sensation in the Chinese circle. Various media reported it one after another, the news spread quickly, and the auction of this antique has become a hubbub.
Henry was filled with joy and expectation when he saw that his publicity strategy had achieved such remarkable results.
He seemed to have seen mountains of money waving to him.
In the study room of the manor, Henry and Feng Hongda met again.
Henry's face was filled with an excited smile, and he said to Feng Hongda: "Mr. Feng, is this bronze statue of a horse and an animal head really not going to be identified as a fake by people coming to the auction? ”
Although Henry’s tone was full of expectation, it still revealed a hint of worry.
After all, the amount of money involved in this fraud operation is huge, and if it is discovered, the consequences will be disastrous.
Feng Hongda replied confidently: "Don't worry, Mr. Henry. If you don't distinguish carefully, you can't tell the authenticity of the bronze statue just by looking at the year. I spent a lot of effort to make it. Come out, just trust my skills!”
Feng Hongda's eyes were full of confidence, and he was very confident in his counterfeiting technology.
He knew that in the process of imitating this bronze statue, every detail was handled so well that even a professional cultural relic appraiser would have a hard time distinguishing the authenticity from the fake in a short time.
After hearing Feng Hongda’s answer, Henry felt a little more at ease.
He nodded and said: "I hope so, I'm really looking forward to it! I heard that the whole Chinese circle is going crazy now, and the auction of this antique has already made a fuss.
I bribed a lot of media to report on it. This time, I will make a big profit no matter what!”
Henry's eyes flashed with greed, and he couldn't wait to see the results of this auction.
July 25th, 3:30 pm.
In Xiangjiang, in the Tseung Kwan O area, a magnificent Su family villa stands quietly.
This villa is surrounded by green trees and has a quiet environment, which shows the dignity and extraordinaryness of the owner.
The Su family villa is decorated luxuriously yet elegantly.
In the spacious hall, there are various precious works of art, each of which exudes unique charm.
At this time, Su Cheng was sitting leisurely on a deck chair in the backyard of the villa, holding a book in his hand, immersed in the ocean of knowledge.
After learning about the fake bronze statue of a horse and an animal head in Paris that was about to be auctioned, Su Cheng was not in a hurry to expose the other party.
He had his own considerations in mind, and he decided to wait and see how much trouble these people could make.
Although this matter does not seem to be directly related to him, from a moral perspective, this kind of fraud should not be condoned after all.
Moreover, the real bronze statue of a horse and an animal head is in his home. If it is announced after the auction, he will definitely be condemned by interested people. Naturally, he has no intention of bearing such infamy.
If this auction is allowed to end smoothly, those unsuspecting Chinese wealthy people are likely to be deceived and suffer huge financial losses.
These counterfeiters are unscrupulous in order to achieve their goals.
By bribing the media in Greater China, they continue to report the news of the auction of this bronze statue of a horse and an animal head every day, making this matter extremely popular.
Of course they know very well that only with such continuous publicity can they have a chance to attract many wealthy Chinese businessmen.
Because they understand that this cultural relic belongs to China after all, and only these Chinese people will show a strong interest in it.
This is also the biggest reason why they advertise and promote aggressively in the Chinese area.
The sun shines through the gaps in the leaves in the courtyard of the Su family villa, forming patches of light.
Brother Wu walked directly into the villa. He was wearing a black suit and looked serious.
Seeing Su Cheng sitting on a recliner reading a book, Brother Wu respectfully stepped forward and reported: "Boss, according to reliable information, many wealthy Chinese businessmen in Xiangjiang have taken flights from Xiangjiang to Paris, France. Including Mr. Li, Mr. He, etc., it is obvious that they should be targeting the fake bronze statue of a horse and a beast.”
Su Cheng put down the book in his hand and raised his head slightly, a glint of thought flashing in his eyes.
"Oh? It seems that the propaganda of these people is indeed very effective!" Lin Haoran said with some emotion.
It seems that this counterfeiting gang is really professional, and they are habitual offenders at first glance.
With their influence and strong financial resources in the business field, the actions of these wealthy Chinese businessmen often attract widespread attention.
Brother Wu continued his analysis: "Many of these businessmen are keen on doing charity for the sake of good reputation. I guess they plan to auction off this fake bronze statue of a horse and an animal head and then donate it. Give it to the relevant departments to gain greater reputation.”
After hearing this, Su Cheng nodded slightly, with an understanding smile on his face.
"This is normal. The reason why I started collecting these bronze statues of animal heads a few years ago was for the sake of fame, wasn't it?" Su Cheng laughed.
He admitted his motives without hesitation, because in this circle, everyone was already aware of this behavior.
For these wealthy businessmen, reputation is sometimes even more important than money.
It not only represents social status and recognition, but also brings more opportunities and development space to their business empire.
After Su Cheng thought for a moment, he decided to continue paying attention to the development of this matter.
He also knew very well that he could not sit idly by and do nothing. He must find the right time to expose this fraud before the auction.
Even if these wealthy businessmen have a purpose and are for fame, at least they are doing good things openly.
If he really allowed the auction to end and those counterfeiters got the funds and ran away before he announced it, then it would be Su Cheng's immorality.
So, next, Sioux City only needs to wait for the arrival of July 30th.
He was watching a good show.
As long as it is announced before the auction, the purpose of this counterfeiting criminal gang will naturally not be achieved.
As for those rich people, they only spent some money on air tickets and had no losses.
The higher the popularity of the twelve zodiac animal head bronze statues, the higher the value of the twelve animal head bronze statues he collected!
So, these guys who plan to pass themselves off as real are destined to be in vain
In the end, it was cheaper for Sioux City.
The more everyone pays attention to these cultural relics, the greater the value of his collection! (End of this chapter)